Recreational device

ABSTRACT

A game that can be played indoors or outdoors including a playing surface confined by a railing having gates therein, a plurality of pegs mounted on and extending upwardly from the playing surface and a plurality of balls wherein each ball must hit a peg before it is knocked through a gate.

United States Patent 1191- Frost 1 Apr. 9, 1974 RECREATIONAL DEVICE 3,464,697 9/1969 Robillard, Jr. 273/127 R 7' 570,779 11/1896 Taylor 273/119 R [76] Inventor Frost 1312 Logan 1,856,117 5/1932 Sma1l,.lr. 273/118 R Lamarque, Tex. 77568 [22] Filed Dec 7 1972 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLlCATIONS i 192,883 V 2/1923 Great Britain 273/118 R [21] Appl. No.: 313,112 173,789 12/1934 Switzerland 273/127 R 52 11.5. c1 273/123 R Primary Examiner-Richard Pinkham 51 1m. (:1 A63d 3/00 Assistant EXaminer-Theatri9e Bmwn [58 Field of Search 273/118, 127, 123, 119, Alwrney, Agen1,0rFirmPra1/9L Wilson & Matthews 273/56, 129, 123,124, 126, 108, 109, 110, 118 R, 118 A, 1.18 D, 119 R, 119A, 119 B, 57 ABSTRACT 120 R, 102 A, 121 R, 121A, 121 D, 121 E, 22 R 2 A, 3 R 2 A 124 R 124 A, A game that can be played 1ndoors or outdoors 1nclud- 125 125 A, 2 R, 26 A, 127 R, 7 A, ing a playing surface confined by a railing having gates 127 B 127 C, 7 D therein, a plurality of pegs mounted on and extending upwardly from the playing surface and a plurality of 5 References Cited balls wherein each ball must hit a peg before it is UNITED STATES PATENTS F hmugh a l 3,704,889 12/1972 Hoffman et al 273/129 9 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures I 1 RECREATIONAL DEVICE BACKGROUND OFTHE INVENTION The field of this invention is recreational devices such as outdoor games. V

The number of different types and styles of games that can be played out of doors suchas at the beachor on a playground is practically infinite. For an outdoor game to be successful, it must not only be interesting to play, it also must be resistant to both the elements and continual use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved game which is capable of withstandingcontinual use and the elements. The new and improved game of the preferred embodiment of this invention includes a foundation which provides a playing surface surrounded by a railing, the railing having a plurality of gates therein. A plurality of balls arepositioned on the I playing surface and aplurality of pegs are mounted onto and extend upwardly from the playing surface whereby a ball must hit a peg before it can be driven into a hole; A conventional mallet or club may be used' to drive the balls 'intothe pegs or through the gates.

Each of the pegs has a number corresponding to a gate number such that a gate and peg set is fonned. The distance between lower numbered peg and gate sets is less than the distance between higher numbered peg and gate sets. Further, the playing surface at lower numbered gates slopes downwardly so that balls may be driven through the gates more easily while the playing surface athigher numbered gates slopes upwardly mak-.

ing it moredifficult to drive a ball through such gates.

' BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawing,-the letter R generally designates a game or recreational device that is not only interesting to play but is also resistant to continual use as .well as the elements. The recreational device R includes a concrete foundation or base 10 which provides a substantially flat surface 10a. The foundation 10 has an approximately square configuration when viewed from the top as in FIG. 1. Spaced railings generally designated as 11 of wood, concrete or other suitable material are mounted at the periphery of the foundation 10. The railings such as 11a and 11b are spaced to provide a gate G intermediate of comers 10b and 100 of the foundation 10. Further, railing 110 is spaced from railing lleto provide a gate G at corner 10b of the foundation 10 and, railing lid is spaced from railing 11b to provide'a. gate G at corner. 10c. Similarly, other portions of the railing ll cooperate to provide gates at corners 10d and le of the foundation l0 and at locations intermediate of the corners b and 10d, 10d and 10e,

and 10c and 102. In this manner, eight gates are provided in the railing 11. These gates G, which may also be termed openings or pockets, are of sufficient width t'o'have any one of the balls B pass therethrough. A playing surface 12 is mounted over the foundation surface 10a for the purpose of making the surface more smooth and playable. The playing surface 12 may be provided byany resilient materials such as an indoorloutdoor rug which will be able to withstand varying weather conditions if the recreational device R is set up out of doors. I i

The ball B may be billiard balls or other suitable balls which are capable if withstanding being knocked about by a mallet or club (not shown)of any suitable nature and variety.

The gates G are numbered from 1 to 8. The foundation surface 10a slopes downwardly in the area 10f adjacent to gate 1 making it more easy to knock one-of the balls B through gate 1.

Similarly, the foundation surface and protective layer in the area l0g'in proximity to the gate 2 slopes downwardly but, the degree of slope is somewhat less than the degree of slope at 10f in gate ll so that it is slightly more difficult to drive one of the ballsB through gate 2. The foundation surface and protective layer 12 slopes downwardly in area 10h in the vicinity of gate 3, but the degree. of slope is even less than the slope of gate 2' so that it isslightly more difficult to drive one of the balls B to gate 3.

The foundation surface 10a and layer of carpet or other suitable material 12 at gates 4, 5 and 6 is substantially level. The foundation surface lO a'and carpet layer 12 in area 101 about gate 7 slopes slightly upward such that it is more difficult to drive one of the balls B through gate 7 than it would be through gate 6, all

other factors being equal. Similarly, the area 10] about.

gate 8 slopes upwardly more than area llli about gate 7 such that it is even more difficultto drive a ball through gate 8 than gate 7. -J

.A plurality of round pegs of wood or other suitable material are mounted in the foundation surface 10a and extend.upwardlytherefrom. The pegs P are ar- I ranged-in ahexagonal pattern as vi'ewed'from the top and emphasized by phantom line 14 for illustration purposes. The pegs P are numbered from l to 8 in order to correspond to numbered gates G such that correv spondingly numbered pegs and gates form sets. For example, peg combines with gate 1 to provide a set for. playing purposes. For in playing or utilizing the recreational device R, a player utilizes his mallet to'hit one of the balls B into peg l-and thereafter to hit the same ball through gate 1. Or, as another example, the player uses his mallet or club to hit peg 8 and thereafter to. hit the ball (from its reflected position from peg 8) into gate 8.

The halls B are eight in number and are'arranged concentrically with respect to the pegs P and actually in a hexagonal pattern similar to the pattern formed by the peg P. However, the balls B in the preferred embodiment of this invention are not numbered so that any ball may be used to hit any peg and thereafter to hit the gate of that particular peg-gate set.

. Thus a player must hit the ball through the gate number corresponding to the peg number which he previously hit. The pegs P are positioned such that it becomes increasingly difficult, in all probability, for a player to hit a peg and then hit the ball through the cor- 3 respondingly numbered gate. For example, it is relatively simple to hit one of the balls B into the peg l and thereafter to hit the ball into gate 1. But, it is much more difficult to hit one of the balls B into peg 5 and thereafter into gate 5. For one reason, the distance between peg 5 and gate 5 is greater than the distance between peg 1 and gate 1. Further, it is possible that one of the other pegs such as peg 1 or-peg 7 may serve as an obstacle to a ball reflected off of peg 5. Thus the distance between each peg and gate of a correspondingly numbered peg-gate set increases as the number increases. Further, the pegs P are spaced such that the higher the number of the peg, the greater the likelihood of other pegs serving as obstacles to knocking a reflected ball into a gate. For example, if a player were to knock one of the balls B into peg 8 there is a likelihood that one or more of pegs 3, 6 and 5 may be an obstacle to the knocking of the ball reflected off of peg 8 into gate 8. Of course, the difficulty is compounded by the degree of slope in the areas immediately surrounding the gates as heretofore described.

Returning to the mallet (not shown) to be used to drive the balls B, such a mallet may have a shank or shaft similar to that of a golf club with a head similar to that of a croquet mallet (however, such a mallet is not shown since the recreational device R can be used with any type of mallet or club which can drive the balls Thus in the use of the recreational device R, balls are placed inwardly ofthe pegs P in a hexagonal pattern similar to the hexagonal pattern of the pegs P as viewed in FIG. 1. Assuming there are two players, the first player then hits any of the balls B into any of the pegs. For example, if the first player should choose to hit the ball designated at into peg 4, after hitting peg 4, the first player thereafter attempts to hit the ball 15 from its reflected position into or through gate 4. If successful, the first player gets four points and has an opportunity to take one more shot by hitting another one of the balls B into one of the other pegs. It would even be possiblefor the first player to hit another of the balls B such as 16 into peg 4 and then to drive the reflected ball 16 into gate 4, thus getting another four points. However, there will of course be a tendency for the player to go for the higher peg and gate combination such as 8 in order to obtain more points. Of course,

with the higher numbered peg and gate combinations, the distance between the peg and gate is greater and the slope of the area about the higher numbered gate is higher thus making such higher numbered gate more difficult.

When the first player misses either the peg or the correspondingly numbered gate, the second player then takes his turn. If one of the balls B accidentally goes that concrete is a very suitable material. Further, the

protective surface 12 has been disclosed as being an indoor/outdoor carpet, it should be understood that any other sufficiently thick and wear-resistant material may be utilized. The gates G have been disclosed as'being passages formed by the spacing of the various railing segments such as 11a and 11b. It should be understood that the gates G can be replaced with holes or baskets to catch the balls B as they are knocked through the gates, Although the recreational device R has been discussed in terms of being an outdoor device, it should be understood that with only a change in materials and perhaps a change in size of the game, that the recreational device R can be utilized indoors, also. Further, the arrangement of the pegs P has been disclosed as being generally hexagonal, it should be understood that various other patterns and positions for the pegs P may be utilized so long as the degree of difficulty of knocking aball reflected off of the pegs varies from gate to gate.

The foregoing disclosure and description of the invention are illustrative and explanatory thereof, and various changes in the size, shape, and materialsas well as in the details of the illustrated construction may be tion. v

I claim:

1. A recreational device adapted to be played with a mallet or other club, comprising:

v a playing surface surrounded by a railing, said railing having gates therein;

a number of ball-reflecting pegs permanently mounted in said playing surface and extending upwardly therefrom, the number of-said pegs corresponding to the number of said gates;

each one of said pegs being identically numbered to one of said gates to form differently numbered sets, the distance. between said peg and said gate in each identically numbered set being different such that the difficulty in hitting a ball from within the area defined by said pegs to a peg and gate in a set varies as the distance between said pegs and gates in said sets varies.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1 including:

the distance between said peg and said gate of a lower-numbered set being less than the distance between said peg and said gate of a higher-numbered set.

3.- The structure set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said balls 'are initially positioned within an area defined by said pegs.

4. The structure set forth in claim l, including:

said pegs are arranged in a generally hexagonal pattern.

5. The structure set forth in claim 1, including:

said balls are arranged in a generally hexagonal pattern and are initially'positioned within said pegs.

6. The structure set forth in claim 1, including:

said playing surface at a gate being sloped.

7. The structure set forth in claim 1, including:

said playing surface at the highest numbered gate being sloped upwardly.

8. The structure set forth in claim 1, including:

said playing surface at said lowest numbered gate being sloped downwardly.

9. The structure set forth in claim 1, including:

at least one of said lower-numbered pegs being positioned approximately between said highestnumbered peg and said highest numbered gate in said highest numbered set. 

1. A recreational device adapted to be played with a mallet or other club, comprising: a playing surface surrounded by a railing, said railing having gates therein; a number of ball-reflecting pegs permanently mounted in said playing surface and extending upwardly therefrom, the number of said pegs corresponding to the number of said gates; each one of said pegs being identically numbered to one of said gates to form differently numbered sets, the distance between said peg and said gate in each identically numbered set being different such that the difficulty in hitting a ball from within the area defined by said pegs to a peg and gate in a set varies as the distance between said pegs and gates in said sets varies.
 2. The structure set forth in claim 1, including: the distance between said peg and said gate of a lower-numbered set being less than the distance between said peg and said gate of a higher-numbered set.
 3. The structure set forth in claim 1, wherein: said balls are initially positioned within an area defined by said pegs.
 4. The structure set forth in claim 1, including: said pegs are arranged in a generally hexagonal pattern.
 5. The structure set forth in claim 1, including: said balls are arranged in a generally hexagonal pattern and are initially positioned within said pegs.
 6. The structure set forth in claim 1, including: said playing surface at a gate being sloped.
 7. The structure set forth in claim 1, including: said playing surface at the highest numbered gate being sloped upwardly.
 8. The structure set forth in claim 1, including: said playing surface at said lowest numbered gate being sloped downwardly.
 9. The structure set forth in claim 1, including: at least one of said lower-numbered pegs being positioned approximately between said highest-numbered peg and said highest numbered gate in said highest numbered set. 